Trolley-track hanger



E. FECHNER AND G. VAN DEVENTER. TBOLLEY TRACK HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.4,192!.

Patented m. s, 1921. 7

Zia/Ma UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST FECHNER AND GEORGE VAN DEVENTER, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS T0 AURORA DOOR HANGER AND SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, A

CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TROLLEY-TRAGK HANGER.

Application filed April 4,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Enxrs'r Fncnnsn and Gnoncn VAN DEVENTER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Track Hangers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

Our invention is concerned with the supports which are used to connect the end of track sections, and is designed to pro duce a simple and cheaply constructed support provided with clamping mechanism that will securely hold the adjacent ends of the track sections in perfect alinement and which can be easily and securely locked or dismantled.

To illustrate our invention we annex hereto a sheet of drawings in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures of which Figure 1 is a top plan view in section on the line 11 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical cross-sections on the lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of one of the wedges.

Ye have shown our invention as ap plied to the securing together of the adjacent ends of two track sections 10, which are of the customary inverted Ushaped form with the inwardly projecting rail portions 11 upon which thewheels of the trolleys run. These ends are extended into the hangers 12, which are also of the generally inverted U-shaped cross-section with the inwardly projecting flanges 13 at the bottom, forming the support for the track sections 10. The purpose of the invention is to produce a simple clamping mechanism by which these ends of the track sections can be quickly and readily secured in perfeet alinement with each other, as shown in Fig. 2. We have illustrated the hanger 12 as provided with the central aperture 1 1 in its top through which passes the body 15 of the suspending bolt which has its square head 16 supporting the hanger 12.

For the size shown, we employ in one side of the vertical walls of the hanger 12 a pair of apertures 17, which are large Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

1921. Serial No. 458,575.

enough to allow the heads 18 of the screw bolt 19 to be readily passed therethrough and to permit the turning oi said screw bolts by the ends of screwdrivers inserted through the apertures 17. Directly opposed to the apertures 17 are the apertures 20, which may be slightly smaller as shown, as they need only to be large enough to receive loosely the threaded ends oi the screw bolts 19.

The wedge sections are preferably formed of heavy sheet metal, and consist oi the vertical web portion 21 extending the entire length oi the wedge section which preferably is as lon as the hanger 12. Extending at right angles to the web portion 21 at the ends thereof are two portions 22, which engage the under side of the hanger 12 in one section and the top of the track sections 10 for the other one. These two portions 22 are separated -widely enough to permit their readily passing the head 16 of the bolt 15, as seen in Fig. 1. Opposed to these portions 22 are the two pairs of portions 23, which are separated far enough so as to leave plenty of room tor the passage of the body of the bolt 19 between them, as seen in Fig. 4. These portions 23 are set at less than a right angle to the vertical web 21 so that they converge toward, and preferably meet, the ends of the portions 22. The web 21 has also two preferably countersunk apertures 21 therein to receive the heads 18 of? the bolts 19, which bolts are passed through the apertures 24: of the wedges, as best shown in Fig. 4, and have the nuts 25 threaded on said ends.

Vhen the parts are assembled, it will be understood that the top wedge has its web 21 near the openings 17, and that the screw bolts 19 are passed through said openings 17, through both of the openings 24 in the two pairs-of wedges, through the opening 20. and the nuts 25 threaded on. Then by holding the nuts 25 with wrenches and using screwdrivers on the heads 18, it is possible to quickly draw the wedges together as much as may be necessary to tightly clamp the ends of the track section 10 in the hanger 12.

\Vhile we have shown and described our invention as embodied in the form which we at present consider best adapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood it is capable of some modifications and we do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

\Vhat we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a supporting member having side walls and inturned flanges at the lower end thereof and a plurality of pairs of opposed holes on the upper portion of said sides, of a pair of track members having their adjacent ends abutting within the supporting member, a pair of complementary wedge shaped clamping members adapted to fit between the tops of the track members and the supporting member and having passages therethrough for screw bolts, screw bolts each adapted to be passed com pletely through one of said pair of opposed holes with its head engaging the end of the adjacent clamping member and with its threaded end extending through the opposite hole, and nuts cooperating with said threaded ends.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a supporting member having side walls and inturned flanges at the lower end thereof and a plurality of pairs of opposed holes on the upper portion of said sides, of a pair of track members having their adjacent ends abutting within the supporting member, a pair of complementary clamping membersadapted to fit between the tops' of the track m mbers and the supporting members, each having two wedge-shaped portions connected by a web and the wedges having passages therethrough for screw bolts, each adapted-to be passed completely through one of said pair of opposed holes with its head engaging the end of the adjacent clamping memher and with its threaded end extending through the opposite hole, and nuts coopcrating with said threaded ends.

3. In a device of the class described, the combinationvvith a supporting member having side walls and inturned flanges at the lower end thereof, a centrally located aperture in its top and; a plurality of pairs of opposed holes in the upper portion of said sides, of a suspendingbolt having its head inside the supporting member extending up through the aperture, a pair of track members having their adjacent ends abutting within the supporting member, a pair of complementary clamping members adapted to fit between the tops of the track members and the supporting members, each having two wedge shaped portions connected by a web to furnish a place for the head of the suspending bolt and having passages therethrough for screw bolts, screw bolts each adapted to. be passed completely through one of said pair of opposed holes with its head engaging the end of the adjacent clamping member and with its threaded end extending through the opposite hole, and nuts cooperating with said threaded ends.

at. As a new and useful article of manufacture, a wedge block made of heavy sheet metal and having a central vertical web with a bolt hole therein, a portion at rightangles to the web, and two other portions on either side of the bolt hole converging to the end of the right-angular portion.

5. As a new and useful article of manufacture, a wedge block made of heavy sheet metal and having a central vertical web eX- tending the entire length thereof with two bolt holes therein toward the ends thereof, two portions at the ends thereof extending at right angles to the web, and four other portions, two on each side of each of said bolt holes converging to the ends of the right-angular portions.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and afiixed our seals, this 25th day of March, A. D. 1921.

ERNEST FECHNER. [1. s.] GEORGE VAN DEVENTER. [L.s.]

Witnesses I. C. Mavens, O. D. .Orr'rn, 

